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Keyboard Shortcuts

I have a set of keyboard shortcuts that I routinely use in Word. It’s a fairly short list, because I have to 1) remember that a shortcut is available; 2) remember the shortcut itself; and 3) remember to use the shortcut!
Recently I found myself repeating the same actions over and over again, so I decided it was time to teach myself another shortcut.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I checked the list of keyboard shortcuts that are available in Word to see if the action I wanted to do already had a shortcut assigned to it. It did, so now all I have to do is remember to use it.

Where did I find the list of pre-programmed shortcuts?
In Word’s help section, search for ‘keyboard shortcuts’ and an article about ‘Keyboard Shortcuts for Word’ should appear at the top of the list of possible solutions.

You can find the list of keyboard shortcuts for other Office programs by searching the help files from within the relevant program.

What if the action I want to perform doesn’t have an existing shortcut?
I add a new shortcut.

How?
To add a new shortcut to Word 2010 (or any other Office program):
1. From the Word options dialogue box, click Customize Ribbon.
2. The Customize the Ribbon and keyboard shortcuts options appear.
3. Click on the ‘Customize’ button to the left of Keyboard Shortcuts at the bottom of the Dialogue box.

The Customize the Ribbon and keyboard shortcuts options

A Customize Keyboard dialogue box appears.
You now need to specify the command you want to add a keyboard shortcut to.
4. In the Categories box, highlight the name of the tab with which the command is associated.
5. Then highlight the command in the Commands box.
6. If any shortcuts are already associated with the command, they will be displayed in the Current keys section.

Word’s Customize Keyboard dialogue box

7. If no shortcuts are associated with the command the Current Keys section will be blank.
8. Place the cursor in the Press new shortcut key box and press the keys you wish to use for the shortcut.
9. The new key assignments will cause a message to appear below the current keys box stating whether your chosen combination is currently unassigned to any other shortcut or if it matches the shortcut currently used by a different command.
10. Once you are happy with the key combination, click the ‘Assign’ button to confirm the new shortcut.